TechTV | Amazon Hawks Mystery 'Ginger' Invention
Tech News > Culture
Amazon Hawks Mystery 'Ginger' Invention
Customers itching to get their hands on Dean Kamen's mystery device can now place pre-orders.
By Maria Godoy, TechTV News
Return to Regular View
IT inventor
Dean Kamen Want to be the first on your block to get your hands on "Ginger," the now infamous mystery device from inventor Dean Kamen? Thanks to Amazon, you just might get the chance.
The online retailing king is offering customers a chance to pre-order Ginger -- despite the fact that only a handful of people on Earth know for sure just what Ginger is, and a price hasn't even been set for the product.
"'IT,' also known as 'Ginger,' has not yet been released by its inventor, but we'll be glad to notify you by email when we actually know what IT is and if IT will be available for purchase from Amazon.com," the company said in a statement on its [ product page](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000059MSD/107-8830225-6976553) for the device.
Amazon launched its Ginger page on Tuesday to gauge customer interest in the device, company spokesman Justin Osmer told **TechTV News**.
"We were just having some fun with this whole Ginger thing," Osmer said. "We didn't think it would attract this much attention."
While Amazon does not have numbers on how many people have signed up for the Ginger email alerts, Osmer said the product page has attracted a number of inquiries from news outlets.
Amazon has yet to ink a distribution deal with Kamen, but Osmer said talks are underway.
"We've spoken with Kamen and he's well aware of the page," Osmer noted.
The Ginger mystery first gained public attention on January 9, after Inside.com reported that Harvard Business School Press, without even knowing what IT is, had paid journalist Steve Kemper $250,000 for a book about the invention. The device has attracted the investments of such Silicon Valley luminaries as Apple CEO Steve Jobs, venture capitalist John Doerr, and Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.
Reports had initially indicated Ginger would be a revolutionary technology that would rival the PC or the Internet in impact. [ Speculation has run rampant](http://www.techtv.com/news/features/story/0,24195,3305791,00.html) as to the nature of Ginger, with many suggesting IT is a hovercraft or other transportation vehicle.
Based on Kamen's previous research at his company, New Hampshire-based DEKA Research, and on evidence from patents Kamen has filed, most people now believe Ginger is a [ self-propelled scooter](http://www.delphion.com/cgi-bin/viewpat.cmd/US05971091__) capable of speeds of 60 mph or more.
Copyright © 2001 TechTV LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Use of techtv.com is subject to certain Terms and Conditions . We respect your privacy.
